Stay Tuned For Danger Spoilers

Welcome to the new Computer Game Spoilers section of
my gaming website. I added this section because I recently received questions about the plots of two different games which, to my surprise
and embarrassment, I had totally forgotten the answers to. Then, to my further surprise, I was unable to find any existing website that
would refresh my memory about the plots of computer games... lots of puzzle solutions, but no basic plot summaries.

Sponsored Links

So I figured I'd better write some of them down while they're still fresh in my mind, just in case I or anybody else wants to refer to them
at some point in the future (or in case anybody suffers a major game glitch and just wants to know what was supposed to happen in the end--
I get letters like this from time to time.) If you haven't finished Stay Tuned For Danger yet and you don't want the plot of this game
to be revealed to you, then you don't want to read this page. Please go back to my main
Stay Tuned For Danger page, where I give tips and reviews without
giving away any of its plot.

But if you are looking for plot spoilers, just scroll further down the page to find them!

Plot Summary

The setup and basic plot of this game is based on the 1986 Nancy Drew novel Stay Tuned For Danger.
As in that book, a soap opera star named Rick Arlen has been receiving death threats and his co-star Mattie asks
Nancy to investigate. She finds that he has received several typewritten threats from someone named "B.T. Kaisuur"
as well as some anonymously sent dead flowers and foul-tasting chocolates (Mattie believes they were poisoned, but
it turns out they have just been dunked in castor oil.) But as she is investigating this harmless-seeming hate mail,
someone sabotages the set so that a bank of lights nearly kills Rick, who becomes upset for the first time. It turns out
that the flowers and chocolates came from his jilted lover Lillian and the typewritten threats were a publicity stunt
dreamed up by Rick himself
("B.T. Kaisuur" is an anagram of Rick's real last name, Aburtuski... thanks to Laura Nemeth for cluing me in on that bit!)
The actual attempts on Rick's life, however, turn out to be coming from his ex-agent, Dwayne Powers, who is failing
financially and feels bitter at Rick for switching to a higher-powered agent. Nancy manages to defuse a bomb in Rick's dressing room
and summons a security guard in time to prevent Dwayne from strangling her, and Rick and the show are saved.

Character Subplots and Secrets

Rick Arlen (real name Richard Aburtuski): As mentioned above, Rick is sending himself the typewritten "B.T.
Kaisuur" threats in an effort to generate publicity for the show. He is a bit of a rake, having dated many women including
both Mattie and Lillian. Dwayne used to be his agent, but he switched to a more prominent agent as his career began taking off.
Although he had hinted several times at leaving "Light of our Love" greener pastures, in the epilogue Rick decided to stay on
the show and his character married Mattie's.

Mattie Jensen: She doesn't actually have any secrets; as far as Nancy is able to discover during this game,
she is indeed the nice person she presents herself to be, is genuinely worried about her ex-boyfriend Rick's safety, and still considers him a friend.
She is also still using Dwayne as her agent out of loyalty even though he is not very successful.

Lillian Weiss: The "Light of our Love" director.
Rick recently ended an affair with Lillian and she is bitter and angry about it, bad-mouthing him behind his back
and sending him dead flowers and spoiled candy. She is not connected with Dwayne's plot on Rick's life, however, and
in the end Dwayne tries to kill her as well as Nancy. In the epilogue, it is shown that Lillian left the show to direct movies in
California, where she appears to be much happier.

Dwayne Powers (a.k.a. Owen Spayder): Mattie's agent. He used to be Rick's agent too, until Rick left for a bigger-name
agent, which Dwayne is furious about and blames for his financial woes. His business is collapsing and Mattie--an old friend who
he feels unrequited love for--is his only
remaining star client. He plans to kill Rick and leave the country in frustration. "Owen Spayder" is the alias he uses
while working as a stage hand so that he can get close enough to attack Rick (it is an anagram of his real name.)

Minor Characters

Millie Strathorn: The eccentric studio owner, she is a red herring of no importance to the plot.

Bill Pappas: The producer of the show, you only talk to him by phone and he has no subplots.

Ralph the security guard: He's more of an obstacle than a character in this game (his main purpose is to stop you from entering
without a pass and catch you if you sneak in at night carelessly), but he does save the day in the end by tackling Dwayne when
Nancy calls him for help.

Bess, George, and Ned: As usual in Nancy Drew games, these characters have no subplots and exist only to chat with Nancy
on the telephone and deliver hints if the player needs them.